IHS splits with Shiprock

The Ignacio High School boys basketball team doesn’t necessarily need freebies, but the Bobcats won’t turn them down.

IHS, ranked No. 6 in Class 2A, made 27 of 44 free throws and held off an overly aggressive Shiprock squad 56-47 on Thursday at the Aztec Tournament in Aztec, N.M.

The extra chances helped Ignacio overcome the poor health of Adison Jones, who scored 11 points in just seven minutes, and a wrist injury that hampered Wyatt Hayes.

“We were a lot quicker than we were the last time (we played Shiprock, a one-point IHS victory),” IHS head coach Chris Valdez said. “They were just hacking fouls, and we ended up shooting 44 free throws.”

Clayton Jefferson made 12 free throws and led the Bobcats (6-1) with 20 points.

Ignacio will take on Piedra Vista at 5 p.m. today.

Chieftains 65, Bobcats 33

Turnovers bedeviled the Ignacio girls basketball team in a loss to Shiprock on Thursday at the Kirtland Central Tournament in Kirtland, N.M.

The Bobcats turned it over 40 times to just 20 for Shiprock, and head coach Justa Whitt said that while Shiprock’s pressure wasn’t unexpected, the Bobcats had trouble solving the puzzle.

“It’s pretty much the same thing they usually do with the pressure, and we knew it was coming at us, but we have a bad habit of immediately putting the ball on the floor, then they trap, then that’s it,” Whitt said.

Michelle Simmons had nine points, nine rebounds and six steals to lead Ignacio (4-3).